The imminent revitalisation of the province’s two smaller airports at Bhisho and Mthatha to fully operational status is on the cards, as business and government travel to the region increases.

Ncedo Kumbaca, spokesman for roads and transport MEC Thobile Mhlahlo, said the department wanted to upgrade the two airports to improve access to major projects in the area.

“The government’s budget is biased to rural areas and this is the beginning of a new trend, with businesses moving to those areas to build new infrastructure,” said Kumbaca.

To date, the department has received 14 expressions of interest in the revitalisation of the airports and the successful bidder is expected to be announced “within the next week”.

“The upgrading will not take long and will start early in the new financial year,” Kumbaca said.

“There is also an opportunity for restaurants and coffee shops to be built at the airports.”

He said Mthatha airport had already had a 23% increase in traffic in the past year, and Bhisho’s Bulembu airport was big enough to accommodate a Boeing 747 – a failing of East London’s airport.

1Time commercial manager Desmond O’Connor said the company had considered opening a route between Johannesburg and Bulembu, but had concerns about the sustainability of the route.

“We are a low-cost airline, so we need high loads in order to service a route profitably,” he said. “A route must have demand from both corporates and tourists to make it viable.

“From a tourism point of view the route doesn’t offer many passengers, so I don’t think that it will be on the cards at the moment.”

However, he said that the company was keen to open a route between Mthatha and Johannesburg as an opportunity existed in both the tourism and corporate travel sectors. The airline would consider a 100-seat aircraft for the route, which suited Mthatha airport’s capacity for smaller aeroplanes.

“We have had quite serious talks with the transport department. If the airport were upgraded we would open the route without a question. It would complement our East London route,” he said.

SA Express Airways spokesman Nicola Colville said the company had plans to expand its routes, but Bhisho and Mthatha were not part of that expansion at present.

The Bulembu airport, which is legendary for operating with a full staff complement but having almost no air traffic, recently became home to the SA Police Service’s air wing provincial headquarters.

Border/Kei Chamber of Business chief executive Les Holbrook said Bulembu airport had been a white elephant for some time but could be turned into an asset.

“There is a big demand for extra cargo space in the East London region and there was some talk of turning Bulembu into an import and export hub for fresh produce.”

Holbrook said it was imperative Mthatha airport be well maintained. “We’ve got a feeling that Mthatha is going to grow into the Eastern Cape’s next metropole and the challenge is to keep the infrastructure good,” he said.